The 'Scrawniest Things' on Second Street: A 1889 Fight Over Slum Housing
When the city's building inspector sought clarification on code, he triggered a blistering critique of the shoddy, dangerous 'rookeries' being erected in the shadow of the Great Seattle Fire.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Building Inspector Abbott asked the council for instructions in reference to granting permits for the erection of one-story brick stores under frame houses. Councilman Hall thought it was rather a late day for the building inspector to ask for instructions after he had already granted permits for a number of 'rookeries' along Second Street. Hall stated that if the ordinance was not plain enough for the building inspector to understand it, he would favor having it made easier to read. Inspector Abbott said he understood the ordinance well enough, but he had heard complaints about these one-story buildings and therefore wanted instructions. When Mayor Moran pointed out that one-story brick buildings did conform to the ordinance, Hall countered: 'Then the ordinance should be rescinded at once, as some of those buildings on Second Street are the scrawniest things I ever saw.' After considerable discussion of the building ordinance, the subject was dismissed without the building inspector receiving any actual instructions.
“If the ordinance was not plain enough for the building inspector to understand it, he would favor having it made easier to read.”
This 1889 confrontation highlights the early tension between Seattle's desperate need for post-fire reconstruction and the long-term dangers of poorly regulated development. Just as the council then struggled to balance the push for rapid growth against the proliferation of 'rookeries,' modern Seattle continues to navigate the difficult trade-offs of housing density, construction quality, and affordability in a high-demand market.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.